Having a 3+ year old that challenges all boundaries and authority is exhausting! There are many days that go by that we wonder what we are doing wrong and how we can instruct and correct our child better. I found The Better Mom website a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been so encouraged by its content and the very good topical posts relating to marriage and child rearing. All the contributors are mature God-loving women and I am grateful for today’s technology that makes information like this readily available.

One specific post that I found very helpful this week was by Kara Chupp – Using God’s Word to Correct in Your Family. I found this very inspiring but also convicting – I am definitely not using God’s Word to instruct and train my young ones as I should. She shared a link to theChild Training Bible – what a brilliant concept! I am definitely going to get this for our home. This is a quick-reference tool that can be put into any Bible. It covers 20 key areas of behaviour with tabs to the relevant verses in the Bible dealing with these specific issues. When instructing and disciplining the idea is to go with your child to the relevant verses and study it together – in God’s Word.

I do believe that going back to the Bible and using God’s Word as the primary “instruction manual” to child-rearing is important. This way we can ground our discipline in what God teaches and point our children to the transforming power of the Gospel, which ultimately is the only power that can change hearts!

Last week Siya turned 5 months and today marks 3 months since he came home!

We get asked frequently by people what it feels like to have Siya now. The answer? It just feels RIGHT. The other day I was browsing through old photos and I came across a picture of us with Nina and I immediately realised that this picture didn’t look complete. We are now a family of 4 and it is impossible to imagine life without Siya. I prepared myself that the transition to another child – but also a child of a different race would be very hard and tough. And though it definitely has had its challenges it really has been much easier than I anticipated.

Up until about 2 weeks ago our biggest challenge with Siya was his sleeping patterns and his love for a comfort milk bottle (or two!) during the night when we all so desperately want and need to sleep. This has had a snowball effect, he kept on waking up more and more frequently and also caused Nina to wake up with “not-so-ideal” effects. In the meantime he has been gaining weight rapidly. At 5 months he has nearly tripled his birth weight (which should only happen at around a year!), eating 3 meals a day. When he came home he was just on the 25th percentile of the growth chart, now he has jumped to the 90th!

With this in mind we realised we need to change things drastically or the problem would just escalate. I attended a Good Night Baby seminar 2 weeks ago and this gave me the right knowledge and tools to deal with this sleep problem. Safe to say we are all sleeping much better these past few days!

Every week that goes by with Siya we are filled with immense gratitude for this very friendly and happy baby! It is such a blessing to see his personality develop, the way he plays with his toys, his attachment to us, the look in his eyes when he sees De Wet entering the room and his fascination with his sister’s hair! He is easy going, and such a pleasure to have in our house!

Above all we are reminded daily that God is good and gracious – always.

” In this culture of quick satisfaction and gratification, many of us have never been taught to believe that someday we will have to give an account to God, face-to-face, for the spiritual, emotional, and moral work that we steward in the lives of our children. The souls of our children will last for all eternity, and if we believe Scripture to be true, the way we shepherd them will undoubtedly have repercussions far beyond our lives on earth.”

I came across this post on Show Hope’s blog. A good reminder to all Christians to get and be involved in the orphan care movement.

1. All Orphans Have a Father

God is the great protector and loving Father of all orphans. Psalm 68:5 says, “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows, is God in his holy habitation.” He who numbers the hairs on our head will certainly not turn away from the orphan.

2. All Orphans Deserve Justice

Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.” And Psalm 10:14 says “But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.” Justice is a fundamental part of God’s character. He promises protection and help for those who cannot protect themselves, and he cares about righting wrongs in the lives of orphans. God invites us as his people into this holy work of securing justice for orphans.

3. The People of God Will Care for Orphans

James 1:27 says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” God’s people are called to actively pursue meeting the needs of orphans and a great place to start is through prayer. Each month, Show Hope features a prayer focus child from one of our Care Centers in China. Praying for orphans becomes much more personal when you know the face and the name of a child who has been directly impacted by the orphan crisis. Whether you are a prayer partner, an advocate, a Show Hope sponsor or even a prospective adoptive parent, we have great resources available to help you get involved in caring for orphans!

4. The People of God Share Their Resources with Orphans

The following verse comes from a passage in Deuteronomy where God is instructing His people about tithing. Deuteronomy 14:29 says, “And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.” God calls His people to specifically remember orphans in their giving. Show Hope provides creative ways to give to the cause of adoption and orphan care.